Flexible shaft coupling for relatively-adjustable shafts



Patented Sept. 6, 192.7.

, UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GUSTAVE FAST, ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE BARTLETT HAYWAARD COMPANY, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, A CORPORATION OF MARYLAND.

v:FLEXIBLE SHAFT COUPLING FOR RELATIVELY-ADJUSTABLE SHAFTS.

Application led March 17, 1925, Serial No. 16,188. Renewed April 16, 1827.

per pulp, in which it is necessary to adjustv ,15 the driven conical grinding element relative to the surrounding stationary grinding member. Generally speaking, the coupling is of a telescoping character, in that 1t may be adjusted to connect the shaft ends set at diiierent disances apart, but the inven.

tion is not lim ed to its use with any particular machine.

'In the accompanying drawlngst Figure 1 is a view of thecouplin'gfpartly in side elevation and partly in longitudinal section. t

Fig. 2 is an end view of the coupling. In these drawings 1 indicates the-end of the shaft, which is connected to anddrives the rotary member of the'engine, or other ma-I chine, and which memberis to be capable of adjustment in an axial direction. indicates the -driving shaft connected withvthe v motor. r

The coupling between these two shafts comprises generally a hub 1a adjustably attached, as hereinafter described, to the driven shaft 1, a hub 2a keyed to the driving shaft 2, a-sleeve composed of sections 3, 3a,

4" surrounding the shaft hubs, annular rows of internal teeth 4 and 5 on the sleeve, and annular rows of teeth 6 and'7 on the hubs 1a and 2a respectively, meshing with the inter-- nal teeth of the sleeve.

The sleeve is composed of sections bolted together at 8. The sleeve section 3a into which the .hub 1? extends is longer lthan the other section, and its internal teeth 4-extend substantially from-"one end to the other i. thereoffso'thatthe' shaft hub 1 may have a considerable range of adjustment axially in respect to this sleeve section, while maintaining engagement of the teeth 6 of the hub vwith the teeth of the sleeve.

In this connection also it will be noted that the hub 1a extends beyond the shaft end to which it. is attached and that the teeth 6 are located at the inner extremi of this extended hub and that there is provided a range of adjustment of the hub relative to the sleeve section 3"L about equal to the length of said section before the hub l? reaches as close as practicable to the other shaft 2 and its hub 2a. In other words, the teeth 6 are'/ located at the inner extremity of the hub 1*l or that extremity which lies closest to the center of the coupling organization. These teeth therefore can be termed terminal teeth, because they are loca-ted adjacent to or beyond the terminus of the shaft section 1, which is to be adjusted, and in` this respect they are distinguished from the teeth 7 which instead of being located at or beyond the inner end of the motor shaft, are located towards the outer end of the coupling in respect to said terminal end.

The rocking bearing between the sleeve andl the hub 2a may be of substantially the formy shown in the patent above noted, though I do not limit myself in this respect. In the form illustrated as an example, the rocking bearing consists of a ring 9 bolted to an outwardly extendingI Han-ge 1Q on the sleeve section, said plate or ring having a flange 9a proyided. with an annular bearing face 11 which is rounded slightly torock on the cylindrical surface 12 on the shaft hub.

This rocking bearing is located, like i1114 the patented form, in a plane extending transversely of the sleeve and shaftaxis and substantially midway of the length of the teeth 7. j

The rocking bearing between the sleeve 'section 3 and the shaft end or hub 1a is provided by making the crowns of the teeth 6 conform to sections of a sphere whose cen- "ter is at the axis of the hub and in aplane extending transversely of said axis and substantially midway of the length of the The sleeve has an end wall 3x with packing at 13 to retain lubricant, whichl may be introdu'cedl into the sleeve through the ort 14 and its inclined extension 1,5. The evel of oil, when the coupling is atl rest, is sufficiently high to reach and lubricate the rocking bear-- ing surface 11'.y The lling opening 14 is.,- -located at a 'point nearer the axis of the"v coupling than the rocking bearingto insure a proper depth of the lubricant. It 1s 1mportant 'to make the sleeve tight against the escape of lubricant. Under centrifugal g action the lubricant is forced to the surfaces to be lubricated under considerable pressure, and it would pass out through the joints unless these are formedwith a view to prevent this.

In the present construction the flangesl of the sleeve are" provided with broad bear-lng surfaces at 16 and with shoulders at 17 and the bolts draw these surfaces and shoulders into such close relation that no escape of lubricant can take place at these points.

A similar rugged construction is provided at the end of the coupling by bolting the end. wall 9 to the flange 10.V When the coupling is in operation the sleeve sometimes floats axially, due to axial shocks from the connected shafts and the flange and bolt connection .is adapted to withstand the strain resulting from thesel shocks and the end plate will be held tight against the sleeve and an oil tight joint maintained.

The hub 1 is attached to the driven shaft 1 of the Jordan engine or other machine, to be driven, by adjustable means which will p permit setting the shaft end in different positions relative to the coupling. For this purpose a bronvze collar 18 has a cylindrical bore to fit upon the shaftA end and a tapered or frusto-onical exterior to fit a similarly shaped recess in the shaft hub. The hub has bolts 19 threaded into openings in its end and these bolts have flanges 2O between whichand the heads of the bolts .the flange 21 of the conical sleeve or collar 18 is embraced. This flange is notched at 22 to receive the bolts. By loosening these bolts the conical bronze sleeve may be retracted from Vits seat in the end of the hub 1' and rthen the desired adjustment of the shaft end relative to the coupling, in an axial direction, can be effected, after which by tightening up on the bolts the conical bronze sleeve will secure the shaft end and hub together in their new relation. The sleeve 18 is driven by a key` fastened to the shaft. A further adjustment of the shaft end relative to the coupling can be made by adjusting the said shaft with its affixed hub axially of the coupling. In this adjustment the teeth 6 of the shaft hub will qccupy different positions along the internal teeth 4e of the sleeve section 3a,"according to the extent of the adjustment effected. Y v

It will be understood that the sleeve section 3" of the coupling which carries the teeth Lean be made as long as desired to suit any desired range of adjustment, but as a rule the adjustment will be made by the two stages described above, i. e.,one by shift-` ing the shaft end relative to the shaft` hub 1, and the other stage by shifting the shaft'end with its attached hub relative to the coupling sleeve, and by this two stage adj ustment,y the coupling can be made short'in lengthl and yet all requirements will lbe met, for eitherv small or large amounts of adjustments. In all adjustments, the teeth 6 with their sections of the spherical bearing surface at their crowns, will be capable of performing the relative rocking movement above descrlibed in case of misalignment of the shaft en( s.

Because the coupling is lubricated as above described, there isno tendency for the shaft end, when being adjusted, to jump ahead of the prescribed point, such as is the case with couplings running dry, and thus very fine axial adjustments can be made.

One set of teeth at each end of the coupling may have their contacting or side faces convexly curved from end to end and cooperate with the straight sides of their companion Ateeth, or in some cases bot-h rows of the teeth which intermesh may have curved side faces. j l

I claim: i

1. A flexible coupling for shafts, one of which is to be adjusted axially relative to the other, lcomprising a sleeve having a :row of internal teeth at each end, a row of teeth connected with each shaft end, thatv row belonging to the shaft end which is t0 be adjusted, being at the inner extremity of said.

shaft, and the teeth ofthe sleeve with which said last mentioned teeth engage being longer than the teeth at the other end of the coupling to permit said axial adjustment of the said shaft while the engagement of the teeth is maintained, said sleeve .having rocking movement, under misalignment of the shafts, and in all positions of adjustment, aboutpoints in planes transverse to and substantially midway of the intermeshing portions of the teeth, substantially as described.

2. A flexible coupling for shafts, one of ywhich is to be adjusted axially relative to the other, comprising a jsleeve having a row of internal teeth at each end, a row of teeth in substantially terminalvl relation to the shaft end which is to be adjusted, a row of teeth for the other shaft end located at a point back from the end of said shaft end, the internal teeth of the sleeve with which the terminal teeth engage being longer than the internal teeth at the other end of the sleeve, to maintain engagement with the terminal teeth in all positions to which the latter may be shifted, said `sleeve having rocking movement relative t the shaft ends, under misalignment, andin all positions of adjustment about points in planes transverse tov f and substantially midway of the teeth of the shaft ends.

3. A flexible telescopic coupling for shafts,

one of which is to be adjusted axially relaaeaaeee of teeth on, the shaft end which meshes with and is to be adjusted relative to the long teeth being substantially in terminal relation to said shaft and having their top surfaces curved to conform to sections of a sphere, to form with the wall of the sleeve a rocking bearing fork one end of the coupling, said sleeve having a rocking bearing at its other end in a plane transverse to and intermediate the length of the teeth, substantially as described. f

4. A flexible coupling for shafts which are to be adjusted axially relative yto each other, 'comprising a sleeve formed in sections, one of which is longer axially than the other, means for securing said sections together, a row of internal teeth in the shortsection, a row of longer internal teeth on the longer section, a hub' for each shaft, each having an annular row of teethto engage vthe internal teeth of the sleeve, that row which meshes with the elongated teeth being at vthe inner extremity of the hub which carries them, said sleeve having rocking movement relative to the shaft hubs in all positions of adjustment, substantially as described.

5. A 'exible coupling for shafts, comprising la vsleeve having a set of internal teeth at each end, one set being elongated, shaft hubs, one for each shaft end, having teeth to engage the internal teeth of the sleeve, one of said shaft hubs having its teeth in substantially terminal relation to its inner end to occupy different positions along the elongated teeth, and an adjustable connection between thelatter shaft hub and its shaft end whereby said hub may be set in different positions along said shaft end, said sleeve having rocking bearing movement about points in planes transverse to and'intermediate of the length of the shaft hub teeth under all adjustments of `the coupling, substantially as described.

6. n combination in a flexible shaft coupling, a sleeve having internal elongated teeth, a shaft hub having teeth at its inner end engaging the internal teeth, said sleeve and hub being adjustable axially relative to each other, in which adjustment the hub teeth maintain their engagement with -the elongated teeth of the sleeve, an adjustable connection between the shaft hub and the shaft end comprising a sleeve havin 'a' c lindrical bore to receive the shaften an a tapered exterior to fit a corresponding recess in the outer end of the shaft hub, and bolts connecting the shaft hub and conical sleeve and serving to force the said conical sleeve into the recess of the shaft hub, said coupling having a rocking bearing between the sleeve and the shaft hub located in a plane transverse to and intermediate the length of the teeth of the shaft hub, substantially as described.

7. A flexible shaft coupling comprising a sleeve having internal teeth at its opposite ends, a shaft hub with means for axing itV to the shaft end in di'erent positions along the same, said shaft hub having teeth en gaging the internal teethof the sleeve, the latter teeth being elongated to mesh with the teeth of the hub in all the positions to which the latter may be adjusted, said coupling v having a rocking movement about points located in a plane transverse to and intermediate the length of the hub teeth, substantially asdescribed.

. 8. A shaft coupling comprising sa -sleeve between the shaft ends, hubson the shaft ends, annular rows of intermeshing teeth connecting the sleeve and hubs, and permitting relative shifting movement axially between sleeve and a shaft hub, and means for adjustably holding one hub to its vshaft end to permit setting of the hub in diEerent positions along the shaft end, substantially as described.

9. A flexible shaft coupling comprising a shaft hub for each shaft having each a row of external teeth, a sleeve surrounding the shaft ends and having at each end an internal row of teeth enga 'ng the teeth of the shaft hubs, the teeth o the sleeve at one end j GUSTAVE FAST,

l -l EU ln testimony whereof, I aiix my signature. 

